Victoria Halford
She chose to be possessed and then dispossessed by the seven spirits associated with the planets of classical antiquity.
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Karen Smith (1966–2017) had long been interested in altered states of consciousness. In seeking help with her own psychiatric illness, she came across Agrippa’s works on occult philosophy and the use of spoken-word formulas for entering and exiting differential states of being. These steps over the psychic threshold are known as adorcism and exorcism – the summoning and banishing of demons or spirits. Over the course of a week in 1999, she decided to try out some of Agrippa’s techniques. She chose to be possessed and then dispossessed by the seven spirits associated with the planets of classical antiquity. She documented one ritual per day. For each action, she used the same devices – a bathtub filled with water, a lamp and an audio cassette player with a tape featuring incantations pre-recorded by a ceremonial magician. Published here are the results of these ontological experiments.
The Karen Smith Archive is devoted to the work of the artist Karen Smith (1966–2017). Little is known about her early life. She briefly attempted an art career in the 1990s in London, whilst working as a cleaner. Multiple nervous breakdowns contributed to her isolation and disillusionment with the art industry. She moved to Hastings, on the South Coast of England, where she continued to produce artworks with no attempt at exhibition or publication. Subsequent to her suicide, a large collection of work was discovered, comprising documentation of performances, photography, writings and collage. The archive is curated and overseen by her former lover Victoria Halford.
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